


Three Ways To Tell

by goblin



Category: SMAP
Genre: Comedy, Coming Out, Friendship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-09-25
Updated: 2007-09-25
Packaged: 2017-11-19 21:45:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,979
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/577983
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/goblin/pseuds/goblin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>How do you come out to your band-mates?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Three Ways To Tell

**Author's Note:**

  * For [girltype](https://archiveofourown.org/users/girltype/gifts).



> This fic was written for the JE fic exchange [jexchange](http://community.livejournal.com/jexchange/).  
>  **Disclaimer** : This story is entirely fictional and bears no relationship to the real members of SMAP.

“It’s only a few minutes though.”  
“Only a few minutes.”  
“We’re not needed.”  
“No. We can justify this.”  
“We can.”  
Having convinced themselves and each other that it really was okay, Goro and Tsuyoshi inched towards each other, their breathing shallow with the thrill of these few stolen moments alone in the rehearsal room between one segment and the next. Tsuyoshi placed his trembling hand on Goro’s waist, Goro’s fingers nervously sought out the nape of Tsuyoshi’s neck, and, tentatively, they moved into a kiss.  
Both of them were still a little worried about whether the other really wanted this. So just a few sweet, feather-light touches of mouth on mouth at first, then beginning to trust and gain confidence, finding purchase, lengthening, deepening, until the pureness of romanticism began to flush into sensuality, hands roaming, bodies pressing closer, until –  
They heard a gasp.  
They flew apart, suddenly nearly two metres away from each other and looking in opposite directions, unsure of how much the intruder had seen.  
Shingo stood and stared.  
“Shingo, we’re… we’re…” Tsuyoshi stopped, unable to continue.  
Goro steeled himself and supplied the end. “Together.”  
There was a moment when simple incomprehension clouded Shingo’s face, but then it cleared, his eyebrows lifting high, his mouth gaping in astonishment. “Ehhhh?!”  
Tsuyoshi nodded, wincing.  
“Really???!!!?”  
Goro looked down. “Uh, yeah.”  
“Wow!! That is SO COOL!!”  
Now it was Tsuyoshi and Goro’s turn to gape, taken aback at this unexpected enthusiasm.  
“That is awesome!!” reiterated Shingo. His huge smile was infectious, causing Goro and Tsuyoshi to start smiling too.  
“I’ve never had a guy friend who went out with a guy before.” Shingo was practically bouncing with enthusiasm. “Are you gay now? Have you had sex yet? When did you get together?”  
“No, no, and Wednesday,” said Tsuyoshi firmly, putting his hands on Shingo’s shoulders to placate his excitement.  
“Goro-chan, why are you blushing?!” demanded Shingo, then turned back to Tsuyoshi. “You’re gonna tell me when you do, aren’t you?!”  
“Yes, yes,” said Tsuyoshi soothingly.  
Goro regarded him in horror. “You’re not actually going to tell him about when we – when we – ”  
“Have sex?” supplied Shingo eagerly.  
A little furrow of perplexity formed between Tsuyoshi’s eyebrows as he regarded Goro. “Yeah.”  
Goro was flustered. “But that’s – that’s private!”  
Shingo rolled his eyes. “This,” he said, pointing at Tsuyoshi, “is my _best friend_. You think he’s not going to tell me about something that momentous, that stupendous?!? _First time gay sex!!"_  
“Shh!” admonished Tsuyoshi.  
“What’s wrong with you, no one will care,” complained Shingo.  
“Of _course_ they will!” burst out Goro, who was still looking mutinous.  
“Will they?” said Shingo, apparently bewildered.  
So then Tsuyoshi and Goro had to give him a short but forceful lecture on the topic of homophobia and its possible ill effect on all of their careers, until he said, “Alright, alright! The public should be kept in the dark, blah blah blah, whatever. I’m telling the other two, though.”  
“Nakai-kun and Kimura-kun?” said Tsuyoshi, turning pale.  
Shingo looked outraged. “Surely you’re not going to keep it from _them_?”  
Goro and Tsuyoshi shared a glance. “I… suppose… not,” said Goro.  
“But they’re not going to hear it from you,” said Tsuyoshi quickly. “We’ll tell them.”  
Shingo sighed. “Fine,” he said. “But do it soon, alright? If I have to pretend I don’t know to them for long, I think I’ll explode!!” (Indeed, he looked like he might do just that.) “Now – congratulations!” he said, shaking Tsuyoshi’s hand vigorously. “Congratulations!” He shook Goro’s hand as well. “But if you hurt him,” he added solemnly to Goro, “I will smash your head in.”

After discussing it a little, the newly-discovered couple considered who was closer to who and what would be least awkward and decided that Goro should tell Kimura and Tsuyoshi should tell Nakai. Now it was just a matter of – well, getting the words out.

* * *

FRIDAY

“Um...”  
“Yes?”  
“Nakai-kun...”  
“Yes??”  
“...nothing.”

“Have you told them yet??”  
“No.”

* * *

SUNDAY

“Um, Kimura-kun...”  
“Yes?”  
“Um... umm.... what brand of hair-dryer is that?”

“Have you told them yet?!?  
“No!”

* * *

TUESDAY

“Nakai-kun, would... would you be shocked if I said... if I told you... that... these shoes only cost 5000 yen?”

“You can’t honestly say you still haven’t told them.”  
“Um. Well. Actually...”

* * *

After five days of trying and failing to tell the others, Goro and Tsuyoshi realised they were going to have to develop a strategy to defeat this agonising procrastination.  
“Tonight,” said Goro, stabbing his okonomiyaki decisively. “We should tell them tonight.”  
They sat huddled together against the cold, having stopped for a bite at this tiny, obscure food stall to avoid being overheard.  
“Okay,” said Tsuyoshi, re-tying his scarf, “how about this: I go find Nakai, you go find Kimura and we tell them. And we’re not allowed to come back until it’s done.”  
Goro looked at him blankly. “Come back where?”  
“Here!” said Tsuyoshi. “To this stall.”  
“This old guy is going to stop cooking okonomiyaki by midnight. What if it’s not done by then?”  
“Come here anyway. We have to do it, now. Now, now!” Having had a few beers after work, Tsuyoshi was even less concerned than usual about whether his ideas might be considered strange.  
Still. Maybe Goro was spending too much time with him, or maybe he knew that really he wanted to end the pain of suspense too. Somehow, it made sense. “It’s a deal,” said Goro, and they shook on it.  
Then they buttoned their jackets and set off on their quest.

Nakai, Tsuyoshi discovered when he called him up, was at home, perfectly normal for a Tuesday night. He was also very amenable to the idea of having a few drinks – also perfectly normal for a Tuesday night.  
Nakai was sitting in his lounge room with a can of Asahi in hand and his feet under the kotatsu, looking tired but very happy. Warm feet and cold beer could do that.  
Tsuyoshi felt his heart quail at what he was about to do, but swallowed his fear and sat down at the low table, at Nakai’s urging putting his feet under too. It was lovely and warm, and after Nakai handed him a beer from the fridge (conveniently located directly behind him), Tsuyoshi immediately felt more relaxed and was able to start a completely inconsequential conversation about jeans.

“...But me and Goro-chan,” said Tsuyoshi, finally getting to the point, “me and Goro-chan...” The words stuck in his throat. “We’re... uh...”  
“What?” said Nakai, starting to get irritated by the delay. “You and Goro-chan are... going to Disneyland? Planning a duet? Forming a conspiracy to overthrow me? What??”  
“We’re a couple!” burst out Tsuyoshi.  
“A couple of what? A couple of idiots?”  
Tsuyoshi stared. No – Nakai really didn’t get it. “No, like... a _couple_.”  
Nakai’s face moved from blankness to an expression of utter revulsion. “Tsuyoshi! That’s disgusting!”  
Tsuyoshi recoiled with hurt for a moment, then, angry, struck back. “Why should it be disgusting? Just because I’m with a guy.”  
“Oh, it’s not because you’re with a _guy_ ,” said Nakai, “there’s nothing wrong with _that_. It’s because you’re with Goro-chan.” Nakai’s face twisted up. “I mean, come on, Tsuyoshi. What are you _thinking?_ This is worse than that girl with the teeth.”  
Tsuyoshi sighed and smiled a small smile. This kind of criticism he could deal with.  
“I think you must have the worst taste in the world.”  
“Well, I like him.”  
“I like him too,” said Nakai, “but I wouldn’t touch him with a ten-foot pole.”  
“You _do_ touch him! With your hands!”  
“You know what I mean – wouldn’t touch him with... _intent_.”  
“And a ten-foot pole.”  
“Exactly.”

* * *

Kimura too was at home, which made things tricky. Goro hardly knew what Shizuka would think of this news, and didn’t really feel she – or, god forbid, Kimura’s daughters – needed to know. But he’d said he’d tell Kimura, and tell him tonight, so he had to either get his friend to meet him somewhere… or brave the Kimura family home.  
Considering there was really nowhere in public the two of them could possibly have that sort of discussion, Goro was forced to go with the latter option.

When Goro arrived Shizuka was just leaving, off for a night out with friends.  
“My turn for a night home with the kids,” said Kimura wryly to Goro.  
“About time, too,” said Shizuka, but the smile on her face said she was just teasing. She hugged Kimura tightly, kissed him, and with a “keep him out of trouble,” to Goro, left.  
For around half an hour Goro beheld the girls’ running, squealing, wheedling antics with a mix of helplessness and admiration at Kimura’s ability to deftly defuse tantrums and prevent them from causing any real harm to themselves. Then Kimura announced it was story time and the two little ones were in bed and looking up with huge, expectant eyes in seconds.  
“Do you want to help read?” asked Kimura.  
Goro hesitated, but the girls wanted a story from “Uncle Goro”, so he obliged, taking turns with Kimura to read from a fairy-tale book until the two wide sets of eyes got sleepier and sleepier and finally closed.

They went back to the kitchen, where Kimura started extolling the virtues of a cake he’d recently invented and was just cutting a piece when Goro couldn’t stand it any longer and, very quickly and with practically no modulation in his voice, blurted out, “Me-and-Tsuyoshi-have-gotten-together.”  
Kimura laid down his knife with a clatter, raised his hands in the air, and exclaimed, “At last!”  
Goro couldn’t believe it. “You... you could tell we liked each other?”  
“It was pretty obvious.”  
“ _We_ couldn’t tell up until a week ago!”  
Kimura shrugged. “I worked it out months now,” he said, “but I guess you two were each too busy convincing yourself that the other couldn’t possibly like you to notice that you were both doing _exactly the same thing_.”  
Goro said, “um,” and didn’t continue, embarrassed to be caught at such foolish insecurity.  
“Who made the first move, by the way?” asked Kimura. “Considering your personalities, I was started think I was going to have to force the issue.”  
Goro looked slightly scandalised. “What do you mean?”  
“Like, lock the two of you in a room – shout ‘Baka! You like each other, and I’m not letting you out until you’ve done something about it!’ Or something.” Kimura grinned.  
“That would’ve been even _more_ embarrassing,” muttered Goro.  
“Anyway, you haven’t answered the question. Who made the first move?” Kimura’s smile was wicked, but his interest clearly genuine.  
“I’m… not sure,” said Goro. “We sort of both did.”  
He didn’t want to tell Kimura that it had taken them all of six hours – three movies worth – for he and Tsuyoshi to get from accidentally-on-purpose brushing their little fingers together to kissing. It had happened so slowly that he honestly didn’t know who had started it.  
“Well,” said Kimura thoughtfully, “how about that.” And then: “Do you still want some cake?”

* * *

When Tsuyoshi finally weaved his way back to the okonomiyaki stall, quite drunk and feeling accomplished, it was past one in the morning. Goro was sitting on a bench and shivering, looking miserable.  
“Oh, no, no, no,” said Tsuyoshi with dismay, enfolding Goro in his arms. “Did it go that badly? Was he terrible to you? Did he – ”  
“No, it was fine,” said Goro. “He was fine with it. It’s just that... I’ve been sitting here for nearly two hours.”  
Upon which Tsuyoshi howled with remorse and made many very sweet (if slurred) apologies and promised to make it up to him in any number of pleasant ways, and Goro drove Tsuyoshi home with him and took all of his clothes off and tried not to think about how much of this Shingo would be hearing about in the morning.

THE END!


End file.
